A routine of stretching exercises, plus spinal manipulation by a chiropractor, it is best to relieve neck pain that analgesic medications, people who had pain in the neck started to feel better, according to a study from Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Chiropractic care and stretching exercises are more effective at relieving neck pain than painkillers. Photo by Michael Dorausch

Home exercises and spinal manipulation by a chiropractor are more effective at relieving neck pain than prescription drugs or painkillers, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minnesota studied 272 people who suffered from neck pain. Participants were divided into three groups; those who received spinal manipulations over a 12-week period, those who were prescribed medication or painkillers, and those assigned one-hour sessions of at-home exercises.

All three groups had pain relief, but spinal manipulation by a chiropractor was more effective than painkillers in both the short and long term. Home exercises were equally effective at relieving pain after participants were given instructional sessions in stretching. The study, the first large federally funded study that compared the different treatments, was published this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

“It’s good news for patients that there’s something they can do themselves,” said Dr. Gert Bronfort, vice president of research at Northwestern Health Sciences University and one of the study’s… continue reading

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